Distant Lands

Ethan stops suddenly on the side of the road.

“We’re almost there, but I just want to warn you, my sister...your mother can be a bit intense,” he says.

What does he mean by intense? Ivan had said that they were lovely people. I know Ethan is a sweet person. She’s his sister, so hopefully, she’s similar to him.

“Well, my sister is a Military Leader. She has had a long career in the military. She loves her occupation. She started as a Cadet and then worked her way up to Military Leader. She is now teaching new cadets.”

“Oh wow, a Military Leader?”

He nods happily.

“Oh," Ethan suppresses a smile. "She knows that you ran away for a month. I just wanted to warn you,” he looks ahead and continues driving.

I swallow nervously. I haven’t even met her yet, and I’m already afraid of her. Knowing that my alien mother knows that I ran away, I feel like I’m on my way home and about to face my punishment for my actions.

“What did she say when she found out?” I ask nervously.

“She was angry at me. She yelled at me for not doing a better job watching over you. She was about to come to the Academy to look for you herself. But then we found you.”

“Oh. I'm glad she didn't have to come down to look for me.” I look up ahead, and I’m able to see the City.

Boulder City is a small city surrounded by rolling hills. We drive down a street and see one-story buildings to the right and left. The road we are on is in the middle. The wooden buildings look like those western towns we see in movies. This City seems way different from the high-tech City where Damon lives.

There are no drones in the sky, no robots in the street. The people in this City are Divus; some enjoy a stroll on the sidewalk, and some enter the shops, restaurants, and bars.

"Ethan, why are we really here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Has it become dangerous to stay at the Ranch?"

"No." He glances at me. "We are just visiting your step mother." He looks ahead. I study Ethan's face, and I get the feeling he is not being honest with me.

We make a left turn, and we drive down another road. Now there are only trees scattered in the landscape. We make another left turn and drive up a dirt driveway. I can start to see a two-story house up ahead. It’s a soft blue color, and it looks like a farmhouse with its roof-covered porch.

We get closer, and I see the front door swing open.

A tall woman comes out of the door. She is looking toward us with a broad smile on her face. She has suntanned skin. Her long black hair is braided, which comes down to her hip. She’s wearing a long black cardigan with dark grey jeans. Her black boots step down the steps, stepping off of the porch.

Ethan powers down the car, and the seatbelts release us. She gets closer, and my nerves are killing me. Ethan gets out of the car and walks toward her. She looks at him like she hasn’t seen him in years, and they embrace. She slaps his back, and they say something to each other.

Ethan turns to look at me, and they walk towards me, smiling. I get out of the car to greet my alien mother.

“Elizabeth, this is your mother, Emerald. Emerald, meet your daughter Elizabeth,” Ethan says. I smile shyly. Her name fits her so well; her eyes are a beautiful emerald.

She looks at me as if I’m adorable and smiles. Her eyes get teary. I extend my hand out to greet her. She grabs my hand and yanks me forward, giving me a strong hug. Oh god, she is strong. I tap her back a few times, and she releases me and looks down at me with a soft look on her face. Is she a Military Leader? She looks so young, like she could be my big sister.

“I’m so happy to meet my daughter. Oh, I’m so excited. I’ve always dreamed of having a daughter,” she clasps her hands together.

“It’s so nice to meet you too. And thank you for adopting me. I appreciate it,” I say.

Smiling, she puts an arm around my shoulders, leading me into the house. We walk up three steps and stand on the porch. Ethan goes back to the car to grab our bags.

We enter the house, and the smell of food cooking greets me. It reminds me so much of home. Whenever I got home from work, my mom would always run around the kitchen, cooking and making dinner for the family.

The pot on the stove begins to bubble up. Emerald suddenly runs towards it, lifting the top off.

“Oh, that was close,” she says. Then she turns the flame off and puts the lid back on the pot. She turns to look at me. She looks at me with concern in her eyes. I didn’t realize that tears had escaped from my eyes. I feel so sentimental about the memory I quickly wipe my eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m just missing home right now. And you and your home reminded me of it,” I say, trying to act happy. She comes over to me and embraces me softly.

“It’s okay,” she says. She caresses my head, making me feel like a little kid. I try to hold back my tears, but dammit, her kindness is making me emotional. I feel my eyes getting ready to spill with tears.

“You are going to be okay. You are not alone,” she says and pats my head lightly, and I burst out crying. She holds me in her arms and lets me cry.

“That’s it, that’s it, let it out, let it all out,” she says. And I cry even harder. After I take in tiny breaths, she looks at me.

“Do you feel better now?” she asks. I nod, wiping my tears away.

“Good. Now let’s go and have some dinner,” she says. I sit down at the dining room table.

The glass pitcher on the table has lemonade with ice, and three empty glass cups stand near it. Just looking at it makes me thirsty. The glass pitcher has droplets of water forming outside the ice, making my mouth water.

I watch as Emerald grabs a large bowl from a cabinet. She lifts the top of the pot, and hot steam flows out of the hot pot. She then scoops up what looks like stew and puts it into the bowl. She places the bowl in front of me, along with a spoon. I hope she doesn’t expect me to finish all of this. That would be impossible.